Hagan wants hearings on oil, gas lease

State Rep. Robert F. Hagan wants city council to have public hearings on a proposal to lease city-owned land for oil and gas drilling before the legislative body votes on it.

Councilman Mike Ray, D-4th, chairman of the public utilities committee, said council plans to discuss the matter as a committee or as the full council at either a public meeting or hearing.

A decision is expected shortly with the meeting or hearing to be take place later this week, Ray said.

Council decided last Wednesday to postpone a vote on leasing land for drilling.

Some council members wanted more information before voting on the legislation, proposed by Mayor Charles Sammarone.

About 70 people attended last week’s council meeting in opposition to the legislation.

Council could vote on the proposal as early as its next meeting Oct. 3.

Sammarone wants to use the money from leasing city-owned land for drilling for demolition and neighborhood-improvement projects. That money is desperately needed, Sammarone said.

Hagan, of Youngs-town, D-60th, said Monday, “While we all share in the excitement over the potential to bring jobs back to Youngstown with this expanding industry, there still remains legitimate environmental concerns related to fracking and the use of class II brine injection wells. As I said before, surely, the safety and health of our constituents takes precedence over the city’s search for additional revenue.”

Fracking is the process in which water, chemicals and sand are blasted into rocks thousands of feet below the ground to unlock natural gas and oil.

It has come under fire because of its potential environmental concerns.

Five of seven council members say they support Sammarone’s proposal. Ray and Councilman Paul Drennen, D-5th, say they haven’t made a decision yet and want to obtain more information.

Comments

How does this Hagan guy ever get elected!? He has done everything he can to stifle any hope this area has. I'm sure back when railroads (which comrade hagan worked) all this political back lash would not have been as severe as it is with this hipocrit. Same with the Steel mills which shaped this valley. I say drill and vote out this moron!

JMW08 "At what point will the Valley get rid of people like him and free themselves from the enslavement to government that he sells?" The answer to that question is, when the people of this poverty stricken valley vote with their minds and not a blind eye toward anyone with a (D) behind their name. There are a lot of complaints about the people in the city of Youngstown, but they were smart enough to reject this joke as their mayor.

Bob Hagan and the liberals who control the media do not want thoughtful deliberations on various issues. They want to govern by whomever screams the most wins the argument.

That is why the liberal media, like the Vindicator, want public showdowns where the kooks can scream the loudest and where normal, thoughtful citizens walk away in disgust at what a cicus the process has become.

Keep the fracking out of the city! Money will flow for demo regardless. Even if it doesn't I would rather have abandoned buildings then potential poison above and below ground. If it is fracked then the exodus from the housing that is now occupied will really move into high gear. It is a weak argument.